| One of the oldest working Guy
vehicles in the world, and its Australian connection. It has
been owned by members of the same family since new.
I must thank Brendan Kinsella, the current
owner, for the information and photos used in this section. |
| The lorry is a 1928 Guy model ‘ON’, with
chassis number 9355, and engine number 50181. It was exported to
Perth in Western Australia, where the Guy agent, Dalgety &
Company fitted it with a locally built tray and cab. In 1929 it
was sold to Mr. Thomas Quain for $750, and delivered to his
farm, at his property, ‘Kyalami’, 200 miles to the north of
Perth, near to the Damboring railway siding, in the far south of
Dalwallinu, a hot, dry, and dusty wheat growing area. |
|
The lorry, on the farm. Courtesy of
Brendan Kinsella.
|
| The Guy lorry had been purchased to
transport bagged wheat, bales of wool, and drums of fuel,
to and from the Quain property to Damboring railway station, a
distance of about 12½ miles. Although a 30 cwt. truck, it
regularly and reliably carried loads in excess of 3½ tons along
the rough gravel roads of the day. |
|
The lorry, carrying a typical load.
Courtesy of Brendan Kinsella.
|
| The 1930s depression led to a shortage of
petrol, and so in 1935 Thomas Quain’s son, Joseph, fitted a gas
producer, which burned charcoal to produce gas to power the
engine. The charcoal was made by burning dried eucalyptus wood
under controlled conditions. The lorry continued to be powered
by producer gas until 1944 when petrol was again freely
available. |
|
The gas producer conversion. Courtesy of
Brendan Kinsella.
|
|
Joseph Quain. Courtesy of Brendan Kinsella. |
Joseph was justifiably proud of the Guy
lorry, and so in 1939, when it was ten years old, he sent a
letter to the Guy factory in Wolverhampton to express his
satisfaction with the lorry’s performance, and to congratulate
the company on its silver anniversary. The letter reached Sydney
Guy’s desk. He was delighted with the letter, and replied in
person to Joseph, beginning a correspondence between them, which
would last until Sydney Guy’s retirement in 1957.
They also sent
presents to one another. When Joseph married in 1952 he received
a pair of George II salt cellars from Sydney Guy. |
|
One of Sydney Guy's letters. Courtesy of
Brendan Kinsella. |
 |
 |
|
Another of
Sydney Guy's letters. Courtesy of Brendan Kinsella. |
|
|
Sydney Guy's final letter, just before he
retired. Courtesy of Brendan Kinsella. |
|
Another heavy load. Courtesy of Brendan
Kinsella. |
|
In 1957, Joseph’s nephew Redmond Kinsella,
son of Joseph’s sister Catherine, began visiting the farm and
greatly enjoyed riding on the lorry. From Joseph he learned how
to maintain the vehicle, and also how to drive it. When Joseph
died in 1985, Redmond became the lorry’s owner. He shipped the
vehicle 2,000 miles to his home in Canberra, where he worked in
Government service. Although in full working order, the lorry
hadn’t been used for some time, and so he began a restoration
project.
The mechanical restoration consisted of an
engine rebuild, new clutch and brake linings, and new gearbox
bearings. The cylinder head hadn’t been removed since 1944 when
the vehicle was converted back to petrol from producer gas.
Luckily he had a set of over-sized pistons that had been
purchased from the Wolverhampton factory in 1945, and still in
their original packaging, complete with gudgeons, and small end
bearings.
The original tray, made of Jarrah, a type
of Eucalyptus hardwood, had suffered over the years, and so it
was replaced with a tray made from local Ash, another type of
Eucalyptus hardwood. The bodywork was repainted in identical
colours to the original to make the restoration as authentic as
possible.
The restored vehicle could reach a
creditable 25 mph. cruising, or 30 mph. downhill. Redmond was
delighted with its performance.
|
|
The restored lorry. Courtesy of Brendan
Kinsella. |
|
The lorry now belongs to Redmond's son,
Brendan Kinsella, who returned it to the UK in 2007. It now
resides in Kent. Brendon has since fully restored it, and has
recently converted it into a funeral hearse.
|
|
In England, after final restoration.
Courtesy of Brendan Kinsella. |
|
Another recent view. Courtesy of Brendan
Kinsella. |
|
The restored engine. Courtesy of Brendan
Kinsella. |
|
A final view. Courtesy of Brendan Kinsella. |
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